Driver Crashes Into Nueces River, Escapes Without Injury

A 23-year old driver was luckily okay after losing control of his truck and ending up in the Nueces River Friday morning.

Daniel Cerda was driving southbound on I-37 near Labonte Park at around 8 a.m. when he tried to avoid hitting a car as traffic slowed. He tried to change lanes, and wound up clipping the back of an 18-wheeler, causing him to lose control of his vehicle.

"I was hitting the brakes as much as I could, and I was pulled into the river," Cerda said. "I just couldn't avoid it any way."

Cerda was able to roll down his window and get out of the truck before the water rose inside of the cab. He escaped without injury.

"You want to get out the vehicle as quick as you can, before it sinks. Roll your window. If not, break that window out," said Lt. Jay Clements of the Corpus Christi Police Department. "It will sink and will fill with water, and so you want to get out as soon as possible."

Cerda was given a citation for failure to control speed.

The Corpus Christi Police Department's dive team was called out to assist in pulling the truck out of the river, and the driver of the 18-wheeler that was clipped is also reportedly okay.